Immune cells and preterm labour: do invariant NKT cells hold the key?

Immune cells and preterm labour: do invariant NKT cells hold the key?

Whilst there is now considerable evidence that labour, both at term and preterm, is an inflammatory event associated with an immune cell influx into theutero-placental tissues (Thomson et al., 1999;Young et al., 2002; Osman et al., 2003; Gomez-Lopez et al., 2010; Rinaldi et al., 2011; Hamilton et al., 2012), the precise role that these immune cells play in the initiation of labour, either in th...

NK, NKT and Invariant-NKT Cells in Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes of Patients with Breast Cancer

Background: NK (natural killer) and NKT (natural killer T) cells, as components of innate immune system, play a crucial role in tumor progression and dissemination. Objective: To investigate the percentages of NK cells, NKT cells, iNKT (invariant natural killer T) cells, total T lymphocytes as well as activated T lymphocytes, in tumor draining lymph nodes (TDLN...

Immune Response to Lipopolysaccharide Invariant NKT Cells Amplify the Innate

Invariant NKT cells

Although invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells influence antitumor responses indirectly by secreting cytokines and promoting the cytolytic functions of T and NK cells, we find that iNKT cells mediate direct tumoricidal activity in vitro and significantly inhibit tumor growth in vivo, even in the absence of other cytotoxic lymphocytes.

Immune regulation by invariant NKT cells in autoimmunity.

Invariant NKT cells are important regulators of T cell immunity and autoimmunity. In this review we describe evidence that supports their regulatory role in the prevention of autoimmune disease. Moreover, we will discuss the current knowledge on iNKT cell biology, antigen recognition, acquisition of a specific cytokine profile, and mechanism of action that suggest a key role for iNKT cells as n...